Sexiest Man Alive!
by Zyra M
Summary: Han is chosen to be featured by a magazine as the sexiest man alive, but the reporter assigned to interview him seems more interested in him than writing the article. His wife Leia has the flu and doesn't seem to be helping matters.
1. Chapter 1

Sprawled comfortably on his stomach in the bed he shared with his wife, Leia, Han Solo was sound asleep. He was in the middle of a dream when he started hearing an odd noise, similar to a Gamorrean growling. That seemed particularly strange because that certainly hadn't been what he was dreaming about, but the sound became louder until it finally awakened him and he realized it hadn't been part of his dream.

His face was pressed into his pillow, and he opened one eye to look at the sleeping form of his wife next to him. She was lying on her back, and his own hand was resting comfortably on her stomach as it rose and fell with each breath that she took. Her mouth was agape and he realized that the noise he'd been hearing wasn't that of a strange creature, but in fact Leia, who was currently snoring more loudly than he'd heard Chewbacca on his worst nights.

This was not typical. Although she'd been known to occasionally utter an incoherent phrase in her sleep, or maybe make noises of distress while in the grips of a nightmare, his princess certainly wasn't typically one to snore. He propped himself up on his elbow to get a better view. The volume of the noise coming from her throat was almost enough to make him wake her up from laughing so hard, but he managed to contain himself.

Normally she was an image of perfection, and he thought about what people might think if they saw her now, snoring like a Wookiee, her hair disheveled and covering half of her face. He had to admit that she still looked adorable, but now he wondered if he was going to be able to fall back asleep considering the noise. He didn't have to contemplate that thought much longer, as Leia's breath caught in her throat and it seemed that she had actually woken herself up.

After catching her breath and licking her obviously-dry lips, her eyes slowly opened, first looking up at the ceiling, and then turning towards her husband when she finally noticed him looking at her.

"Hey, you," Han said.

She still seemed half asleep. "What are you doing awake? And why are you staring at me?"

"Well, sweetheart, I don't know if you noticed or not, but you were snoring loud enough to pull me out of the middle of a dream a couple of minutes ago. I've never heard that kind of noise coming from you. I'm impressed."

"Oh, no. Was that me? I thought I dreamed that." Her voice sounded lower and more raspy than normal.

"Nope, it was definitely you."

"Sorry," she said quietly before reaching up to place her hand on her forehead. "Han, I don't think I'm feeling too well."

He reached over and pressed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, feeling it a bit warmer than normal. "You do feel a little warm. What's wrong?"

He heard a loud sniffle from her before she responded groggily. "Well, my head hurts, I'm achy, I feel a little chilled and congested, which is probably why I was snoring."

"I think you might have the flu, sweetheart." He brushed his thumb along her warm cheek soothingly.

"I can't get sick. I have too much to do."

"Honey, I'm sure you'll be fine in a few days. You just need to rest a little and let me take care of you, okay?"

She let out a sigh. "Okay. Thanks."

"You want a glass of water or something?"

"Thanks, that sounds good."

Han went to the 'fresher and returned with a cup of water for Leia, who drank eagerly, although she seemed to have some trouble swallowing.

"Thank you, that's better."

"Now, you think you can go back to sleep for a little while without snoring too much?"

"I'll do my best, but I can't really do much about it when I'm this stuffed up."

"Maybe just try not to lie on your back."

"I thought that's how you liked me best." She gave him a little smile, seemingly quite proud of herself for that retort.

He was attempting to formulate an appropriate response, but she suddenly burst out in a mild coughing fit and sort of killed the mood. "Doesn't seem like you're quite up for it tonight, sweetheart."

She let out a final cough and reached up and covered her eyes with her hand. "I don't think I'd even be able to stand right now. My head is spinning. I hate being sick."

"It happens to the best of us. Let's just try and get a little more sleep. It's a few more hours before sunrise." He moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, feeling the heat radiating off her body. "You really _are _warm, aren't you?"

The only response he got was the sound of her snoring beginning again.

Han had decided to get up a little earlier than normal. Eventually he had become tired enough to fall asleep in spite of Leia's congestion-induced snoring, and at least managed to get in a few more hours.

After he had showered and dressed she was still sleeping. He had turned off her alarm, knowing that she was in no condition to attend to any of her duties that day. The woman would normally work under any circumstances, but given her current condition she was likely to be of no use to anyone, and she would surely get better faster if she took the time to rest.

He was in the kitchen pouring her a glass of juice when he heard a holo call coming in. He figured it was either Luke or Chewie at this time of the morning, but was surprised when he saw the image of a professional-looking blond woman appear.

"Greetings, Captain Solo! How are you this morning?"

Han was more than a little bit confused. It wasn't that often they got calls from strangers. "Uh, fine I suppose. I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Oh, no, sir. Not yet, anyway. I was hoping we could arrange a meeting soon. You see, my name is Rena Star and I'm an editor over at _Sentient Beings _magazine, and once a year we dedicate a whole issue to our favorite men, and you have been selected as this year's sexiest man alive!"

Han was glad that he hadn't yet started eating his breakfast, because he was fairly certain that he would've choked to death. It took him a moment to find his voice. "I'm sorry, is this some sort of joke? Did Lando put you up to this?"

"I can assure you I am completely serious, Captain. And if you'd be willing, we'd like to do a feature article and a whole photo spread on you."

Han was trying to think of a good way to get out of this, but he was coming up empty, so he decided to stall for some time. "Well, let me think about it, okay? I'd like to talk to my wife about it, first."

"Absolutely, sir. Although I can't imagine why any woman would object to being told that she was married to the sexiest man alive. I'm going to need an answer by tomorrow, though. We have a deadline to meet and if you don't do it, we're just going to have to find someone else. Perhaps your friend Calrissian, he seems like a good candidate."

Han winced at the thought of Lando being told that he was the sexiest man alive. The rest of them would never hear the end of it. But he still felt funny about accepting the title for himself - at least without taking a little time to think about it.

"All right, I'll have an answer for you as soon as possible, all right?"

"Great. I look forward to hearing from you – and hopefully meeting you soon."

"Okay, goodbye, Miss Star."

"Goodbye, Captain Solo."

Sexiest man alive? Really? Han had heard of that particular magazine, and had known he'd been mentioned in it a few times since he had become more well-known, but he had never been interviewed or asked to be in an article. And he'd certainly never posed for a photo shoot before. With the exception of his wedding to Leia a year earlier, he'd never had a professional take photos of him.

He took a glass of juice in to Leia, who had her cheek pressed against her pillow, facing the edge of the bed. He sat down next to her, and the movement of the mattress caused her to open her eyes.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

She didn't seem all that happy to be awake. "What time is it?" Her voice was scratchy and she hardly sounded like herself.

"Oh-nine-hundred," he replied.

Her eyes widened and she went to sit up, but seemed to instantly regret it when she grabbed her head and collapsed back down to the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I guess that means you're not feeling much better," he said before reaching down to smooth the hair away from her forehead.

"I think my head might explode. Why did you let me sleep so late? I haven't slept this late in months!"

"Leia, you need to rest right now. I know you hate being sick, but if you don't get some rest you're only going to be sick longer. Here, I brought you some juice."

He held the glass up to her, but she looked at it in disgust. "Maybe later. Right now my throat feels like it's on fire."

He placed the glass on the bedside table and decided he should go ahead and tell her about the call he had just received. "Well, I just got an interesting call."

She pulled her hands from her eyes and looked up at him. "Really? Who was it?"

"Some editor over at _Sentient Beings. _You know that magazine, right?"

"The one with mostly non-news, right?"

"Well, yeah. Anyway, apparently they want to do an article on me."

She looked at him skeptically. In the past, that same magazine had announced their engagement as well as doing a short blurb about their wedding – which they had not been invited to but chose to cover anyway – but they had never done any interviews with them before. They had mostly focused on holostars or other such celebrities that people seemed to love to gawk over. "What kind of article?"

She barely got the last word out before releasing a powerful sneeze that made Han duck out of the way. He handed her a tissue which she readily accepted. "Well, uh, apparently they've voted me this year's sexiest man alive."

He waited for her reaction, having no idea what her response might be. "You're kidding, right?"

He smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Nope, not kidding. Just got the call from the editor, herself. They want to do a whole article and a photo spread. What's the matter, sweetheart, don't you agree with their assessment?"

"Maybe I just don't think that your ego needs that kind of a boost. Do you really want to put yourself out there like that? You've never been much for having your picture taken. They might even force you to wear makeup, Han."

"Well, get this – she said that if I said no then maybe they'd just go ahead and call Lando."

"I'm surprised they didn't call him first, actually." Her tone never changed, as her voice was still quieted from being sick, but she still seemed to be enjoying teasing him.

"Hey, now. You like Lando better? I'm sure he'd take you up on it."

"Oh, shut up, nerfherder. Look, if you really think it's a good idea, then you do what you want. I'm sure not too many people take that magazine seriously, anyway. Surely after this, I value their work even less than before."

"Well, I'm glad to know how you really feel about me." He waited for a response from her, but she simply groaned in annoyance. "You're sure, now? You're not just saying yes because you're sick and not thinking straight and later on you're going to decide that you should've said no?"

"Han, if you want to do it, just do it. I'm sure some lowbrow magazine isn't going to suddenly change people's opinion of you. Now will you please leave me alone and stop making me talk? My throat is killing me."

"Sure, sweetheart. Sorry." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss at her temple. He could feel the heat of her fever on his lips. "I'm going to bring you some medicine first, though. Hopefully it will bring that fever down a bit and maybe clear your sinuses and take away that headache."

"Yes, thank you."

Han went into the 'fresher and grabbed a few tiny pills and a glass of water. When he returned, he handed them to Leia and helped her sit up to take them. After one, visibly painful swallow, she sank back down against the pillows.

"All right, now. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Han, I love you, but will you please just leave me alone so I can try and go back to sleep?"

"Just let me know if you need anything."

She responded with a barely perceptible nod and Han left her alone in the bedroom to contemplate his response to that editor. He flopped down on the couch in the living room, wondering what he should do. He felt a little funny being the center of such an article. While he certainly didn't have a low opinion of himself, it still didn't seem right to go around advertising himself as the sexiest man alive. He liked to think that Leia felt that way about him – and he certainly felt that she was the sexiest woman alive – but he wasn't sure he was completely comfortable with potentially hundreds of random women thinking that about him.

That thought made him laugh. There was a time earlier in his life where the idea of being lusted after by so many women would've been thrilling. But things were different now. He had Leia, a woman that he loved more than he ever thought he could love anyone, and he didn't need that kind of publicity.

Then he remembered the threat of Lando being the next choice. Surely the galaxy needed to be spared of his handling of such a situation. The man was already quite good at leaving a trail of one-night-stands in his wake, and that was when he had to do all of the work himself. He didn't need to have the women breaking down his door just so they could say they'd been with the sexiest man alive. Surely if Han said yes they would make it very clear that he was already taken, and everyone would realize that it was okay to look, but not touch. What was the harm in it, really?

He decided he didn't need the rest of the day to decide, and he got up to place the call to Rena, who seemed to have been eagerly awaiting his response. "Oh, Captain Solo! So glad to be hearing from you so soon. I hope you have some good news for me."

"Yeah. I guess I'd be willing to do it. I am a better choice than Lando, after all."

"Oh, I certainly agree. Thank you, I think you will enjoy this. I know I will."

She gave him a look that made him slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, right. So what do we need to do now?"

"Well, how about we set up a meeting as soon as possible and then make time for the photo shoot. I'll call my photographer and let you know. We need to move fairly quickly on this, so is there a time soon where you can meet up? The magazine would pay for a meal, wherever you wish."

Well, this wasn't sounding too bad at all. He took a moment to consider when he should meet with her. Even from the next room he could hear Leia snoring again, and considering her attitude towards his presence at the moment, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get out for a little while. "Well, I'm free for lunch today. What about Tazedo's? They have some great, spicy food. My wife never wants to go there."

"All right, Tazedo's it is then, say thirteen-hundred?"

"Okay, see you then."

"I'm looking forward to it, Captain."

"Uh, me too."

The transition ended and although Han was certainly looking forward to a good meal, he was already wondering what he had gotten himself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Han had checked on Leia one last time to make sure she didn't need anything else before he disappeared for a few hours. She seemed even more annoyed by his presence and he was glad to be getting out for a few hours. He left her with a box of tissues, a big glass of water and a little bit more medication in case what she had already taken wore off. The medicine made her even drowsier, and she was likely to just sleep the entire time he was gone, anyway. Still, he told her not to hesitate to comm him if she needed anything.

He made his way to the restaurant and just the smell of it made him hungry. Leia was never much for spicy food, so it wasn't often that he had the opportunity to eat at this dive unless he was just with Chewie. Even Luke was a reluctant patron.

Rena was waiting for him and approached him the moment he walked in the door, her arm outstretched in greeting. "Captain Solo, it is so good to finally meet you. Thank you for agreeing to do this article."

He reached out and took her hand, and she brought her other hand up to clasp his, lingering a little longer than he felt comfortable with. "Sure. I figured we had to save everyone from hearing what Lando thinks of himself."

She laughed a little too hard at the comment, and placed her thin fingers on his arm, giving his muscle a gentle squeeze. "Oh, he would've been a vastly inferior choice, but luckily we didn't have to move down the list. You are definitely who we wanted to focus on this year. Come on, let's get to our table."

She signaled for the hostess who came over and she led them to a small table in the corner of the dimly lit restaurant. Han took a moment to take in Rena's appearance. She looked like she was maybe a couple of years older than Leia. She had fair skin, and her long, blond hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she wore a pair of dark-rimmed, almost rectangular glasses. That was about the only feature that made her look like a magazine editor. She was dressed in a navy skirt that ended just above her knees, exposing long legs and spiked heels that made her only a couple of inches shorter than Han was. Her matching blazer was open enough to reveal an almost inappropriately low-cut white blouse underneath – not that he'd noticed.

When they reached the table, Han pulled her chair out for her out of force of habit. "Why, thank you, Captain Solo. It's not often you find such gentlemen around anymore. I knew there was a reason we picked you."

"Just common courtesy," he said, taking his seat across from her. "And please, just call me Han."

"All right then, Han. So, is there anything you want to know from me before we get started?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah. Why me?"

"Oh, you are modest, aren't you? It's pretty obvious, if you ask me. The man who risked his life to help save the galaxy on countless occasions, hotshot pilot, hero of the Rebel Alliance, instrumental in the beginning of the New Republic, loving and supportive husband to an actual princess."

Han was relieved that she was actually aware of that fact.

"And, if you don't mind my saying so, tall and incredibly attractive with a great body."

Han felt his face flush as she gave him a shy smile, and it took him a moment to respond. "Okay, well, what about my brother-in-law? He's most of what you just said, only he has the added bonus of being both a Jedi Knight and an eligible bachelor."

"Luke Skywalker? Well, yes, he is certainly a great catch. But I – we – are far more interested in you."

Han was relieved when they were interrupted by a server droid who came over to take their order. Rena had told Han to order for both of them since she trusted whatever he chose, and then they were left alone again.

"So, are you ready to get this interview started, then?" She said, suddenly seeming far more business-like when she pulled out a small audio recording device.

"Sure, I guess so."

She proceeded to ask him some questions about his heroics in defeating the empire, and he gave her short, simple responses, not caring much to go into detail because he didn't think anyone would really be interested.

She also asked him about the _Millennium Falcon _and the rumors she had heard about how fast it was due to his own ingenious engineering. This he was more eager to discuss, but her eyes looked to be glazing over and he realized that perhaps she wasn't that interested in hyperspace modifications talk. So he simply finished with, "She's the fastest freighter in the galaxy, I can assure you."

"I hope you don't like to do _everything_ as fast as possible," she responded, giving him a flirtatious smile.

"Huh?"

She didn't get a chance to respond as a few plates of steaming food were placed on their table by the server droid, who left them alone again far too quickly for Han's comfort.

"Mmmm… it smells delicious. I can't wait to try it."

Happy to have an easy distraction, Han focused his attention on his plate. "Yeah, they make some pretty good stuff here. Be careful though, it's pretty spicy if you're not used to it. Leia hates spicy food, which is why she never comes here with me."

"That's a shame. I happen to love spicy," she said as she brought a bite-sized piece of spiced beef up to her lips, blowing on it before placing it in her mouth and chewing slowly. He kept an eye on her, waiting to see a sign that the food was too spicy for her, but saw none. "Mmmmm… delicious. I just love Corellian meat."

Han started choking at the half-chewed hunk of food in his mouth and gulped down some water. "Sorry, I guess I should chew my food a little better, huh?"

"That's all right. Let me ask you a few more questions. Let's talk about your wife."

For a few minutes there he had been wondering if she'd remembered he actually _had _a wife. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"What kind of a relationship do you have?"

"Well, we've been married for a little over a year, and we've known each other for I guess about eight years now. But it's no secret that it took her a while to warm up to me."

"I can't imagine why," Rena responded.

Han looked back down at his plate of food. "Yeah, well, we were too good at arguing with each other to bother with much else. We had some pretty legendary fights. We still have some pretty good arguments, we just happen to be much better at making up afterward."

"I bet you are."

He instantly regretted adding that last sentence. "Anyway, she's an incredible woman. We love each other and enjoy our life together." He suddenly found himself slightly embarrassed. He wasn't sure why he was opening up quite so much. Maybe he just wanted to make sure that Rena fully understood how committed he was to his wife.

"Enough with the mushy stuff, do you have anything else you want to know?"

"How about your past? What were you like growing up?"

"Nah, let's not go there. I don't really like to talk about it."

She looked slightly disappointed. "Well, how about some of our more simple questions. What is your favorite food?"

_This _he could handle. "A nice, tender nerf steak, rare."

"What kind of workout routine do you adhere to so that you keep that incredible body?"

Workout routine? Who had time for a workout routine? He was pretty sure that most of his aerobic exertion was taken care of between intense repairs on the _Falcon _and sweaty nights spent in bed with Leia – more than a few of which had actually made him sore the next day - but he certainly wasn't going to mention _that _to this woman. "I don't really have time for that. I guess it's just the physical labor from working on my ship that keeps me in shape. It's a pretty intense job, at times."

"Fair enough, although I'll tell you right now that a lot of our readers are going to be jealous that you maintain your physique without intense physical exercise."

_Oh, it's pretty intense, _he thought to himself. _But it's so much fun I hardly notice._

"Next question: boxers or briefs?"

"Your readers are really interested in what kind of underwear I have?"

"You'd be surprised at the kind of thing they're interested in. I'm actually going easy on you, but only because I can already tell you wouldn't even answer most of the good stuff."

"Well, you're gonna have to use your imagination." He wasn't sure Leia would appreciate him talking about his underwear in a widely released publication. He knew for sure he wouldn't appreciate _her _talking about her own if their roles were reversed.

"Oh, trust me, I already do."

What was with this lady? Was he imagining things? Han started eating faster, hoping to either speed the meal along or maybe give himself heartburn intense enough that he'd be forced to excuse himself from the table.

"And what do you like to do for fun?"

That relaxed him a bit. "I guess I don't really have a whole lot of spare time. Really mostly just quiet nights at home with my wife or maybe dinner with a few close friends."

"Sounds nice. All right, I think that's enough for now. I'm sure I'll come up with a few more questions to ask before our photo shoot. I've talked to my photographer, and if you're free tomorrow morning, we can do it then."

Han had forgotten about the photo shoot, but he decided not matter how uncomfortable it made him, there would be at least one other person there, and he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Yeah, tomorrow will be fine. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Actually, we like to get our subjects in their own element. So if you wouldn't mind us coming over to your place first, and then maybe we could get some shots of you on your ship. I'd like to talk to your wife, too, if that's okay."

Han was starting to wonder what Leia might think of this Rena, and if Rena might ease up a bit on the obvious flirting when Leia was around. If not, Rena might get a taste of what Leia could be like when she got angry. "Sure, I just hope she's better by then. She woke up feeling a little ill this morning."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I assure you, we'll try to be as unobtrusive as possible."

"Good. Speaking of which, I should really get back home to check on her, would you mind?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Like I said, we'll take care of this. Thank you again for agreeing to this Capt – I mean, Han."

He stood and she held out her hand to shake his again. "You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow.

"I'm looking forward to it."

He was thoroughly relieved to be leaving the restaurant, and he started considering how Leia might react to this woman. Hopefully Rena would have enough tact to tone it down a little when his wife was present. He was starting to believe that Rena was the sole vote on the sexiest man alive selection committee.

Han had returned home and quietly entered the bedroom where he had left Leia to rest. He was glad to see that she was awake, slightly reclined with several pillows behind her head, blankets pulled up tight around her and several used tissues balled up and spread out on the table next to her. At least she appeared to have finally drunk the juice he had left her.

"Hey, feeling any better?"

"Maybe a little," came the still-raspy voice. She actually sounded even more congested. "I can at least lift my head up a little. I'm still achy all over though, and I've got the chills."

"Well, let me see if I can fix at least one of those," he said as he approached the bed and laid down next to her, pulling her body close to his. He held her for only a few seconds before her body was wracked with a violent sneeze, breaking his embrace.

"Bless you."

"Thanks," she said as she brought a tissue to her nose and forced out a significant amount of phlegm. Her skin was even paler than normal, and her nose was already red and dry. This was certainly not the most attractive he'd seen her.

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something?"

Another sniffle. "No, I don't think so. I just want to lie here and watch trashy holodramas and fall asleep."

It was then that he noticed the flickering screen on the wall at the foot of the bed. "Anything good on?"

"Of course not, that's what makes it so perfect right now. Wait, how did your meeting go?"

"It was… good, I guess." He wasn't sure how much he should elaborate.

"That doesn't sound very convincing."

"Honestly, it was a little weird. The woman just seemed like she was flirting with me the whole time."

"Of course she did. She's writing an article that is proclaiming you as the sexiest man alive. Do you think she can seem like she's _not_ flirting when she's asking you questions like what do you like to wear to bed at night?"

"Thankfully she didn't ask me that one. I don't think I'd want it in print that I'd rather not wear anything. She did ask me what kind of underwear I wear though. _That _wasn't awkward at all."

"I told you it might not be the best idea. They don't exactly go for substance over there. Did you answer the question?"

"No way. I don't want anyone but _you _picturing me in my underwear." He gave her a little wink.

She looked like she was about to smile, but instead she started coughing.

"Well, let me at least give you some more decongestant, at least that might help a little."

"I'm not sure it did the first time, but it couldn't hurt, right? And maybe it will just put me out so I can just fall asleep and not wake up until I'm better."

He returned with two more tiny pills and some water, and she took her second dose before he sat down on the bed next to her. "I forgot to tell you," Han said. "She and the photographer want to come here tomorrow to take a few pictures of me, and they wanted to talk to you, too."

"Really?" The response sounded almost like a whine. "Han, I'm not sure I'm going to be better by tomorrow."

"Well, I'm sure it won't take too long. And I think I'd feel more comfortable if you were here."

"Why? Afraid you otherwise would be unable to resist the charms of the big, bad editor, Solo?" She asked sarcastically.

"Actually I'm counting on you to protect me from _her._ Maybe she'll be less likely to ask anymore underwear questions with my wife in the room."

"Han, I really think this sexiest man alive thing is already going to your head. Not every woman you see is going to try and flirt with you. She's just doing her job. Even if it is a pretty mindless job."

"Okay, fine. You can decide for yourself tomorrow, then. Now, do you need anything? You've got the sexiest man alive to attend to your every need, princess."

"Stop flattering yourself, flyboy. You're still just a scruffy-looking smart ass and you know it. Really though, I just want to try and get some rest, if you don't mind."

He reached up and ran his fingers through her tangled hair. "Sure, just give me a shout if you need me and my obviously vastly superior immune system."

"Don't you start with that kind of talk. I'll give you a big, wet kiss just to make sure that in a few days you wake up feeling just as badly as I do right now."

"Promise?"

She gave him a playful slap on his shoulder. "Get out of here."

"Okay, okay. Hope you feel better soon."

"Me, too."


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is a little slower, but I promise it is going to get a LOT more interesting…

* * *

Han had spent the rest of the day staying out of Leia's way, with the exception of bringing her some soup for dinner and demanding that she eat at least some of it. After much coaxing, she finally got through about half of the bowl before she sent him away again. He only wanted to make sure she was taken care of, but she was far more interested in being left alone.

She had fallen asleep early that night, and Han crept into the room to find her once again snoring loudly on her back. After about twenty minutes of futilely trying to fall asleep with the noise rumbling in his ears, he decided to throw on some sleep pants, grab a pillow and a blanket and retreat to the living room couch.

He was awakened early when he heard Leia's flu-like voice calling him from the bedroom. After taking a moment to work out the kink in his neck from awkwardly being propped up on the arm of the couch, he went into the bedroom.

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you today?"

" Not a whole lot better." Her voice still sounded terrible. "Were you sleeping on the couch?"

"Yeah, sorry. I wanted to make sure I got enough sleep before this photo shoot. You were snoring pretty loud again."

"That never stops me from staying in bed with _you._"

"Hey, now. That's just part of my charm."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have to listen to it." She let out a few hacking coughs, and he went to the 'fresher to get her a glass of water.

"Here you go. Maybe I should call Rena and tell her we should reschedule."

"I forgot. Was that supposed to be today?"

"Yeah, we talked last night, she's coming in about two hours. She doesn't have to, though."

"Han, I think I'd rather you just get this over with. It would probably be a good idea if we minimize any more of your talking to this Rena person."

"Princess, are you starting to get jealous?"

"Don't press me, Solo. I'm sick and irritable. And you better get cleaned up and make yourself presentable. I don't want those readers seeing what a mess you can be when you first roll out of bed. Or the couch, I guess." She reached up to run her thumb along the stubble on his chin.

"If you say so. But you know, the better I look the more women are going to be fawning all over me when they see the pictures."

"Don't count on it. I plan to make sure they emphasize the fact that you are _happily _married. And also that any woman who tries anything is going to be reminded of how skilled your wife is in hand-to-hand combat."

"I love it when you get violent. And I love your new sexy, sultry voice. I'd kiss you if you weren't so germ-infested."

"Just shut up and go take a shower."

"Sure thing. I'll be back." Han left the room, almost having forgotten what he might have to deal with once Rena arrived.

Leia was once again half asleep against her pillow, her head pounding. It was so rare that she caught some sort of virus, but when she did, it was usually enough to knock her out for a few days.

She was also annoyed that this magazine article had come about when she wasn't quite herself. Why in the universe had she allowed Han to make such a decision on his own? There couldn't possibly be any good that could come from it, except maybe the fact that Lando would not have been chosen.

Now, she didn't mind if Han knew that _she _thought he was the sexiest man alive, but that didn't mean that she wanted strangers thinking of him that way. She also wasn't sure how big his head might get once this article was released. Surely his male friends would only make him live to regret it, making fun of him every chance they got. But she was starting to worry that maybe when all of these women started looking at him differently that maybe he'd start looking back, and not so much in the casual sense.

Well, that was ridiculous, wasn't it? She and Han had vowed to be faithful to one another, and she knew she would never do something like that to him and she had always trusted him enough to be certain that he would never do something like that to her. The fever must've been making her slightly delirious.

But what if Han was right about this Rena person? What if she was really coming onto him? Then again, did it matter? Han surely wouldn't act on anything. But if Leia did sense her flirting with Han, she was going to make sure to offer her a beverage. One that included just a little bit of royal, germ-infested spit.

Han emerged from the 'fresher then, wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. His skin was glistening with moisture, accentuating the taut muscles underneath, and his wet hair was sticking out in all directions. If that wasn't the image of the sexiest man alive, she didn't know what was.

He rummaged through his top drawer, taking out a pair of his white boxer-briefs. Without the slightest hint of modesty, he dropped the towel and slipped his underwear over his muscular legs, the cotton material fitting snugly against him and outlining every shape underneath. It was a visual Leia had experienced countless times, but she found herself staring at him like a teenager. Unfortunately, she was fairly certain that the pounding in her head and the aching of the rest of her muscles were going to prevent her from acting on the impulses triggered by a few other, very specific parts of her body.

She was snapped out of her gawking trance by another attack of coughing that burned her throat and increased the pain radiating at her temples.

Oblivious to her prior stare, Han picked up his towel off of the floor and turned toward her. "That doesn't sound too good. Did you take any medicine yet today?"

The coughing finally subsided a bit once she had another sip of water. "No, I was hoping to avoid it for at least a little while. It makes me too sleepy, and I want to at least be awake enough for our guests this morning." She got a good look at him facing her, and suddenly felt that if this particular image were to be in any magazine, her husband might never be able to go out in public again without being mobbed by females.

"Well, let's try something a little different. There's an old Corellian remedy that doesn't involve drugs. Just give me a minute."

He walked out of the room in his bare feet, and she wondered what he possibly might be returning with. She took a moment to use a tissue to blow her nose once again and winced as the tissue touched the now-raw skin surrounding her nostrils. She didn't want to know what she looked like given her current condition.

Han returned with a small glass of copper-colored liquid and she looked at him skeptically as he held it out to her. "Here, drink this. But get it down fast or it might not go down at all."

She took the glass from him. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you in a minute, just trust me."

She decided not to argue for once and she opened her mouth and tossed back the liquid. Somehow it made it down her throat before she felt the burning and started coughing once again, enough this time to make her eyes water. Between coughs she managed to sputter out, "What was that?"

He took the glass from her hand, sat next to her on the bed and rubbed her back soothingly. "Whiskey."

"It's 7:30 in the morning! And that's your big Corellian secret? I should've known it involved alcohol."

"Hey, I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't think it worked." His warm hand was still rubbing up and down her back, and she felt the burning finally starting to subside. It was nice of him to try to be so helpful, she just wasn't so sure that a shot of hard liquor was what she needed right now.

"That was terrible. Now I remember why I don't drink it. Will you help me get up? I suppose I've got to get cleaned up here, too."

"Sure." He stood and offered his hand as she slowly sat up and put her feet on the floor. She immediately felt dizzy and reached up to hold her head in her hand.

"Are you sure you're up for standing in the shower? I could draw you a bath, if you want."

He really could be sweet when he wanted to be. "Yes, I think that's probably a good idea." She rested back against the pillows once again while Han retreated to the 'fresher and she heard the water running to fill the large, whirlpool tub.

A few minutes later, she heard the water stopping and he returned to help her into the bathroom. She was absurdly over-dressed, but she had been experiencing chills and had been forced to layer herself in an oversized sweatshirt and old sweatpants. For a moment she caught their reflections in the mirror and thought of the absurd contrast between their current appearances.

He helped undress her, and uncharacteristically he never interjected with any sort of sexual comment. Maybe he was just preoccupied with holding her upright. She shivered when she was finally completely exposed, and he helped to ease her into the hot, soapy water. Resting her head back against the porcelain, she almost instantly felt the tenseness in her muscles easing, and she shut her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the hot water enveloping her body and breathing in the moist steam rising out of the tub. She couldn't resist the sigh that escaped her lips.

"Better?" Han asked.

"Much. Thank, you."

Stepping over to the sink, she watched as Han filled his palm with shaving cream and smoothed it over his face before bringing the blade up to shave. He owned an electric razor, but had always said that he preferred the old fashioned method, as it left his skin smoother. Leia appreciated it as well, not just for the end result, but for the image it was providing her at the moment.

Once he was satisfied with his work, he splashed some water over his face and blotted it dry with a towel. He then seemed to notice her stare. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're starting to agree with the idea that I'm the sexiest man alive."

"I never said I didn't agree, I merely thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to broadcast it to the public so I can keep you all to myself."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to worry. No matter how many of these new women who start throwing themselves at me, I'll still come home at least _most _nights."

"Careful, nerfherder. I'll let you get really used to sleeping on that couch."

He gave her his usual lopsided grin and walked over to sit on the edge of the tub. "Here, let me wash your hair."

She didn't even respond, she simply shut her eyes and enjoyed the sensations of Han's fingers massaging her scalp as he rubbed the shampoo in her hair. The soothing motions nearly lulled her to sleep, and she was starting to feel like being under the weather and letting Han take care of her maybe wasn't such a bad thing. Although it was also making her slightly suspicious that he was only doing it because he was feeling guilty about something.

"All done." Han's voice startled Leia, as she had nearly been soothed into sleep. "Ready to get out and get dressed?"

"Do I have to?"

"I could always leave you in here to hide from our visitors and turn into a prune."

"Oh, fine." She opened her eyes and sat up. Han had stood next to the tub and reached down to grab both of her upper arms to help her ease out of the water. "I don't know how cheerful I'm going to be when they get here, though."

"Leia, cheerful was never really your thing anyway."

She was reminded of her headache as she stood upright, and she chose not to respond. Once she was out of the tub, Han wrapped her up in a large, white robe and ran his hands up and down her upper arms before leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "All right, you think you can manage for yourself now? I've got to get dressed."

Looking at him then, still wearing only his underwear, she kind of wished he wouldn't. But there was no time for that now, and she was certainly in no condition. She silently cursed her useless immune system. "Sure, thanks."

"Are you hungry yet? I can make you some breakfast in a few minutes if you want something."

In spite of not having eaten much the day before, she still had zero interest in food. "No, I don't think I want anything."

"You sure? Maybe just some juice or something? You can't just not eat, Leia."

The return of his overbearing bedside manner was starting to get on her nerves again. "Really, I'm fine. But sure, maybe a glass of juice if it will make _you _feel better."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Leia slowly walked back into their bedroom and sat on the bench in front of her dresser and mirror. _Oh, Gods, I look horrible! _She thought to herself. She wondered what people were going to think when they saw that the sexiest man alive was married to a tired, pale, red-nosed princess with dark circles under her eyes. And surely they were going to also be impressed with the volume of fluid oozing out of her nostrils.

With a sigh, she decided to grab a few more of those decongestant pills to see if they might help any. Even if her nose stopped running she was sure she would still be able to impress anyone with her hacking cough. _This is not going to be a good morning._


	4. Chapter 4

About an hour later, Han was pacing back and forth in the living room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his guests. Not so much because he actually wanted them there, but simply because he wanted to get it over and done with. He also knew that with Leia not feeling so well he'd be better off getting them in and out of there as soon as possible.

Han had dressed in his fairly standard attire, brown pants with the gold stripe down the side, white shirt and black vest. He had briefly contemplated dressing up a bit more, but Rena had said that they wanted to get him 'in his element' so he figured he might as well wear what he was most comfortable in.

Earlier, he had finally managed to get Leia to drink a glass of juice but he was still irritated that she hadn't eaten anything. She had remained in the bedroom after getting dressed, resting a bit more before she would have to try and be personable and not act like the cranky, sick princess she currently was.

Finally, Han heard the signal that their guests had arrived. "Come on, Leia. They're here," he called back to the bedroom.

Han keyed the door open to reveal Rena, dressed slightly more conservatively than she had been the day before. Behind her was a sloppy-looking man dressed in tan, baggy cargo pants and a dingy white t-shirt, carrying a camera.

"Hello, Han. It's so good to see you again." Rena held out her hand and Han gripped it loosely in greeting, hoping to discourage her from lingering. "This is my photographer, Korst. He doesn't speak basic, I'm afraid."

Han gave the man a nod, and the man gave a half-hearted smile back.

"Han, aren't you going to introduce me to your guests?" Han heard Leia's voice from behind him and turned to see her walking towards them in the entryway.

"Sure. Rena, this is my wife, Leia. Leia, this is Rena Star and Korst."

Leia smiled and enthusiastically shook Rena's hand. "It is so good to meet you, Miss Star."

"Oh, it is an honor for me to meet you, Minister of State."

"Please, just call me Leia. This isn't a formal meeting."

"All right then, Leia. Thank you for having me and thank you for being so willing to share your husband with us."

"Oh, it's my pleasure," Leia said, a little too pleasantly. Throughout the exchange Leia had a huge grin on her face, and Han couldn't tell if she was just trying to make Rena feel comfortable or if she was trying to hide something. Her voice was still raspy, but the makeup she had applied made her look a little less sickly than she had earlier.

"Well, come on in," Han said, leading them into the living room. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Just some water, thank you," Rena replied.

"No problem, I'll be right back," Han said before going into the kitchen.

"Please, have a seat," Leia said, leading them over to the couch.

"You have a lovely home," Rena said before taking a seat next to Leia while Korst wandered around the living room and taking random pictures.

"Thank you, we like it," Leia said just as Han returned and handed Rena her drink before sitting down next to his wife and putting his arm around her. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a hint of irritation in Rena's eyes at the gesture.

"Well," Rena said. "I suppose we should get a few shots of you here at home. I see you have a lovely balcony, how about a couple of shots out there?"

"Sure, if you think that would be good." At least so far it all sounded painless enough.

"Korst?" Rena said, before pointing out towards the balcony. He nodded at her, seemingly understanding what their plan was.

After only about ten minutes of posing on the balcony, Han was reminded of one of the many reasons he hadn't ever considered a career in modeling. He felt absolutely ridiculous, and it only seemed to have just occurred to him how embarrassing this was going to be later on when his friends saw it. It was precisely why he had opted not to ask Chewie to join them when they went to take a few more pictures of him on the _Falcon._

Leia sat quietly in the living room, watching but not participating. The only good thing so far was that Rena seemed to have been acting far more professional than she had the day before. She was simply helping suggest backgrounds for the pictures and giving Han simple stage directions, such as, "Lean your elbow up against that railing."

After countless shots and wondering just how many ways there were for a person to pose on a balcony, Rena finally said, "Okay, I think that's enough out here. How about I ask your wife a few questions now?"

"Sure," Han said. He looked in to Leia, who had her chin propped up in her hand, arm resting on her knee. In her other hand was a half-empty glass of water, her eyes fixed on it as she swirled it around in a daze. The look on her face seemed a little odd, but he figured it was probably just the fact that she wasn't feeling well.

They walked back into the living room and startled Leia out of her trance. "Oh, all done out there?" Leia asked.

"Yes," Rena replied. "It is such a lovely view. And I'm sure it will make an appealing backdrop behind your husband. Although I'm not sure anyone will bother to notice with him in the picture."

"Oh, well, if you really want some good shots of him maybe later on you should take a few of him with his shirt off. Now _that _would sell magazines."

Han blinked slowly, wondering if maybe he had heard wrong. That didn't sound very much a response he would've expected.

Rena seemed eager to jump at this opportunity. "Oh, I agree." She then turned to Han with a big, hopeful smile, "What do you say, Han?"

"Uh, I don't think that's really necessary." He glared at Leia, and she returned with a wide-eyed look of over-dramatic mock-innocence.

"Suddenly he's all shy and modest," Leia said. "Don't let him fool you."

"Well, perhaps we can try and convince him later," Rena continued before sitting down next to Leia on the couch. "Maybe I'll just ask you a few questions about your husband now, Leia, if you don't mind."

"Absolutely. Go ahead."

Leia's eyes looked a little glassy, and there was just something about her tone that was starting to make Han nervous.

Rena began with the questions. "All right, so what did you think of him when you first met him?"

"Hah," Leia laughed. "Well, first of all, I thought he was an arrogant loud-mouth who quite obviously never thought things through. In fact, I didn't think he'd live long enough to get me off the _Death Star_ considering some of the idiotic things he did while trying to rescue me. That would've been too bad, considering I had also noticed very quickly how attractive he was. But I pretended not to notice."

"Well," Rena replied, "We've all heard about how long your relationship took to develop. But what about now? Is he romantic?"

Han's felt his face flush. He was leaning against the wall behind Rena, and it seemed odd to be watching this conversation take place in front of him as though he wasn't even in the room.

"Han? Romantic? I guess he can be when he wants to be. Or when he wants something from me. Or if he's feeling guilty about something. It usually doesn't take much, though. He's quite good at charming the pants off a woman, if you know what I mean." Leia leaned in toward Rena and started giggling like a child and Rena seemed quite satisfied with the answer.

Han wondered if Leia's responses were some form of punishment to him, because he would never expect her to be so open and candid with a complete stranger, and especially one who was going to write down everything she said and make it available to the public.

"Oh, I think I know what you mean," Rena replied before eyeing Han and giving him a little smile. He felt sweat beginning to bead on his forehead and tugged at his collar to get some air.

"And I know you're wondering, so I'll just go ahead and tell you that he is _amazing _in bed."

Han started clearing his throat loudly, eying Leia and trying to stop her from speaking anymore. Rena looked like a woman who had just won a million credits, and Leia simply looked at Han with a smile and continued. "He can go for _hours." _Her brown eyes widened, and Han felt his heart rate increase. Instinctively, he started moving around the couch behind Leia_ "_Oh, and he's got a hu-"

Han lunged, clamping his right hand down over Leia's mouth to muffle the end of her sentence, and then he brought his left arm underneath hers before hoisting her up off the couch and dragging her towards the bedroom.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Would you please excuse us for just a minute?" Still seemingly intent on getting her point across, Leia held her hands up in front of her, palms facing, a little less than shoulder width apart.

Once inside the bedroom, he shut the door, released Leia from his grasp and spun her to face him. "What in the hell was _that _all about?"

"What do you mean?" she replied. "I was just answering the nice lady's questions."

"Sweetheart, what's gotten into you? I've never heard you talking like that with anyone, let alone a complete stranger."

"Oh, pffft," Leia sputtered, pressing her lips together and spraying the slightest bit of spit on Han's chin. Completely baffled by her behavior, he was pretty sure he'd never seen her using such a childish gesture.

"I thought this article was supposed to make sure everyone knew you were the sexiest man alive," she replied before moving closer and resting her hands on his chest. Her voice was still raspy, which only made her sound more ridiculous.

She looked up at him conspiratorially, and her voice softened a bit. "You think we can get away with a quickie before we go back out there?"

"_What?_ Well, yeah…" He shook his head, "I mean, no. I mean, what is the matter with you this morning? Are you on spice?" He was holding her by her shoulders, searching her eyes for some sort of explanation.

"What do you mean, darling? I just thought maybe we could…" The rest of her sentence was cut off as she started coughing uncontrollably. Once the coughing subsided, she looked back up to him. "I'm sorry, now where were we?"

She reached down for his belt buckle, and Han grasped her hands and pulled away from her, suddenly coming to a realization. "Wait a minute, did you take any more of that medication this morning after I left you?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes. Two doses, actually. I didn't want to have my nose running the entire time when we had company. Your whiskey obviously didn't work."

Han slapped himself on the forehead, running his hand down over his eyes. "Sweetheart, you're not supposed to mix those things with alcohol. And you've hardly eaten much of anything in the past couple of days. No wonder you're such a mess."

"What mess? I feel fantastic! Now take me to the bed, Captain, and have your way with me. That's an order!"

"Shhh!" He clamped his hand over her mouth again before backing her up onto the bed and lowering her to the mattress. He was fairly certain that the combination of medication and alcohol hadn't put her in any serious danger, it was likely to just make her completely loopy for a while. But considering some of the things she had been saying, he knew he couldn't let her talk to anyone right now.

"You stay here," he said as he sat up next to her. "I'll be right back."

"You better be," Leia said, wiggling her eyebrows at him before being interrupted with a sneeze.

Han left Leia alone in the bedroom and returned to their guests, careful to secure the door completely. He turned toward Rena, suddenly embarrassed to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry about that. My wife hasn't been feeling very well over the past couple of days, and she's on some medication that is making her a bit, um, _off_. I think it would be best if we let her get some rest."

"Oh, that's quite all right," Rena said. "I think we've got everything we need from her."

_I bet you do, _Han thought.

Rena continued. "I'll tell you what, why don't I give you some time to make sure she's all right and then we can meet at your ship later on to get the last few things we need from you? We'll be all done after that."

Han would much rather that this not go any further, but he was feeling too flustered to argue or come up with any excuses. "Sure, fine. Give me about four hours, okay?"

"Sounds good. Thanks again."

"Sure." She stood up and her eyes wandered down his body, somehow managing to actually make him even more uncomfortable. "Uh, I'll show you out," Han said as he turned her towards the door.

"Come on, Korst," Rena said. The photographer had been sitting in a chair at the nearby dining room table through this whole exchange, oblivious to everyone and fiddling with his camera.

Once they were gone, Han returned to the bedroom to find Leia lying on her back. The blouse she had been wearing was almost completely removed with the exception of one sleeve. It appeared as though she was attempting to give him quite an eyeful upon his return, but the combination of chemicals in her body had finally put her to sleep before she could even finish undressing. He was actually relieved this time to hear her snoring, because that meant that there likely wasn't anything seriously wrong with her. She just needed to sleep it off.

Feeling at least a little bit safer now that she couldn't do any more damage, Han collapsed on his back on the bed next to her and covered his eyes with his arm, hoping that maybe if he shut his eyes tight enough he might wake up from this nightmare.


	5. Chapter 5

For those of you that have been reading this story, I have made a few changes. You do not need to re-read the last chapter, but I took this beginning scene from the last chapter and made a few very minor changes. So this update is sort of a tease but I promise I am working on the rest!

* * *

Han had lain down next to his wife while she slept after changing her back into the old sweatpants and sweatshirt and tucking her into the bed. He didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone at the moment. Nearly three hours had passed and Han was nearly asleep himself when he finally felt Leia stirring next to him.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she squinted to get used to the light. "What time is it?" Her voice wasn't much more than a whisper. "Is it time for the interview soon?"

Han reached over and took her hand. "Well, sort of," he replied. "Actually, they've already been here and gone."

"What? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Trust me, I wish I hadn't. You don't remember anything?"

"I don't think so."

"They came, they took some pictures of me out on the balcony, she asked you about how we first met, you told her how unromantic I am and then decided to mention how great I am in bed."

"What?!?!" Leia yelled, first unbelieving, but then a look of horror came over her, and she gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, gods. I _do _remember."

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty. Mind you, I didn't so much mind what you were saying, just who you were saying it to."

Leia moved her hand to cover her eyes in an attempt to shield herself from the embarrassment. "Oh, Han, I'm sorry. What if she prints that? And what if you had left us alone and hadn't stopped me when you did? Oh, gods, I was about to talk about your – "

Han put his hand up and interrupted her, "I know. You were also advocating the taking of some shirtless photos. There's still time, you know. Maybe you can convince her to get me posing in the cockpit on the _Falcon _in my bathing suit."

"It's not my fault!" She yelled, echoing one of Han's favorite phrases. "If you hadn't been playing Corellian doctor and making me mix drugs and alcohol none of this would've happened."

"Hey, you didn't tell me you were going to take more medicine. I was just trying to be helpful."

"Oh, what a disaster. You see? This is why I can't get sick. I really don't think this article is a good idea."

"Sweetheart, don't you think it's a little late for that? We talked about this. You left it up to me."

"Obviously I wasn't thinking straight. Nothing should ever be left up to you to decide for yourself."

"Look, I'll admit that maybe the situation isn't ideal, but I can't just back out of it now. Besides, don't you like the idea of the whole galaxy knowing you're married to the sexiest man alive?"

_I thought it only mattered that _I _knew that, _Leia thought. "I think Rena's gushing is going to your head."

"You're the one who told me that she was just doing her job, and I shouldn't suddenly think that every woman was flirting with me."

_That was before I saw the tall blond gawking at my husband and I started raving about his manhood. _Leia sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Fine, let her finish writing her damn article. Just don't expect me to go out and buy hundreds of copies to show you off."

"Why would you need the magazine? You get the real thing every day." He leaned in and gently kissed her on the forehead.

Enjoying the warm gesture and wishing she were well enough to enjoy something more, she responded sarcastically, "You mean you'll still come back to this tired, haggard princess once you become famous?"

He leaned in close, looking deeply into her eyes and waited a moment before he finally spoke. "We'll see."

She slapped his arm a little harder than she meant to.

"Ow!"

Shrugging her shoulders, she replied, "Sorry, all of this pent up frustration has to be taken out somehow."

She let out a sneeze and Han handed her a tissue from the bedside table.

"Will you be all right here alone while I go to meet Rena?"

"I'm not a child, Han. I don't need a babysitter."

"Well, I'm afraid that maybe if I leave you alone too long you might call up Rena and give her a play-by-play of our honeymoon."

"Wouldn't _you _love that."

"No way, sweetheart. Some things need to stay just between you and me." He winked at her and brought his hand up to rest against her cheek. "Do you need anything before I go?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, could you do me one little favor?"

"Name it."

"Could you make me a sandwich or something? I'm starved."

He smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Finally fed and feeling slightly better after yet another nap, Leia rolled over to find herself alone in her bedroom once again. Stretching her arms over her head, she noticed a piece of flimsy sitting on the table next to her that read:

_Left to meet Rena, I'll be back soon. Comm me if you need anything._

_-Sexiest Man Alive_

Feeling slightly annoyed that this whole event wasn't over yet, and even more annoyed that Han seemed to have started enjoying the whole idea, Leia fell back against the pillows and threw her arm across her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Han had arrived on the _Falcon _early enough to get some work done before Rena and Korst arrived. It had always relaxed him to work on his ship… provided his life did not depend on the repairs being done in a timely manner, that is, which had happened on more than one occasion.

Glancing at his chrono, he saw that it was just about time for Rena to arrive, so he did his best to wipe the grease off his hands before going to the docking bay security door. Behind it, Rena was waiting eagerly with Korst standing behind her.

"Good afternoon, Han. So good to see you again," Rena said, extending her hand.

Han took her hand and gave it a quick grasp before backing up to let them through the door. "Yeah, you too."

As they walked past him, Han noticed that Rena had changed her clothes and was now dressed more like she had been the day they met for lunch, with a shorter skirt ending just above her knees and a low-cut shirt underneath a blazer closed with only one button.

It seemed a bit early to be worried, but he found himself wishing that Leia was there again, just to be absolutely certain that Rena wouldn't try anything, especially considering some of the things Leia had said about him the day before. Korst wasn't much of a reassuring presence, but at least he was there. He'd considered inviting Chewie along, but he wasn't looking forward to dealing with the grief the Wookiee would surely give him over the content of the article, so he opted to put it off as long as possible.

"I hope your wife is feeling better," Rena said.

"I hope so, too. She's getting some extra rest, so that should help."

"Well, I'd imagine that given what she does for a living, she doesn't often have time to sit back and relax. Do you two get to spend a lot of quality time together?"

Han wondered what exactly she had meant by that, but decided just to answer as simply as possible. "We get enough time."

Turning her attention back to the ship, Rena got a good look. "So, this is the famous _Millennium Falcon,_" she said. "I must say, it's pretty incredible to actually see the ship that was instrumental in the destruction of both Death Stars." She indicated to Korst to take some shots of the exterior.

"Yeah, we've been through quite a lot together."

"Well, from what I understand, they don't really make them like this anymore. I suspect if it wasn't for you it would've been retired years ago, off in some scrap heap."

"_She_, not it. And maybe you're right, but I'd never let that happen. Now would you like to come inside?"

Her smile grew wide and she tugged on Korst's sleeve and pointed towards the entrance ramp. "We'd love to."

Han held his arm out toward the ramp, pausing when he reached the bottom to let Korst and Rena enter first.

Once into the lounge, Rena stood in the middle of the room and glanced around while Korst started snapping more photos. "Well," Rena began, "I imagine a lot of stories could be told about what's happened in here."

Han tried to hide the smile that tugged at his lips. That was surely an understatement. "I don't think there are enough pages in your magazine for all of that."

Rena let out a little laugh. "No, I suppose not. Well, how about we get some shots of you sitting at the controls?"

"Sure, right this way," Han said as he led them towards the cockpit. Sitting in his pilot's chair – arguably the most comfortable spot in the galaxy to him – he sat back and let Korst take his photos. Although he still didn't love the idea of having his picture taken for this, sitting in his favorite spot made it a little bit easier to deal with.

"You know," Rena said, "I'm going to have to admit it is a bit humbling to be in here, knowing all that has happened with you sitting in that chair."

Han almost started laughing. _You definitely don't know _all _of it,_ he thought. "Well, I was just in the wrong place at the right time."

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that it takes an amazing pilot to have done the things you have - and an incredible man. I think we all owe you a debt of gratitude after your contributions to defeating the Empire."

Han felt his face flush a little bit, having never quite gotten used to being thought of as a hero. "I was just one small part of it. You should talk to Leia if you really want to talk to someone who was the reason we won the war."

"Perhaps we will. I certainly enjoyed talking with her this morning."

Rena smiled at him in a way that suggested she was remembering the part of their conversation he'd wished had never happened, and he felt as though the temperature in the cockpit went up a few degrees.

"All right, I think that's enough in here," Rena said. "Why don't you show us a bit more of the ship?"

Han wasn't much for giving tours, and he definitely intended to leave out the private quarters and such, but he figured he had to at least give them something.

"Yeah, I'll show you what I've been working on lately."

Exiting the cockpit, they walked down toward the corridor that held the ship's shielding circuits. Fortunately, as of late he hadn't had to rely heavily on the shields, but you never knew when they were going to come in handy.

"I've been working on increasing the shield capabilities here. I think I've just about maxed her out on speed, but you can never be too well-protected."

"Oh, of course," Rena said. "I've read about some of the things you had to do when the shields have failed in the past."

"You seem to know an awful lot about me."

"Research is part of the job. You history is quite impressive."

Looking up to avert her gaze, Han noticed a wrench he had carelessly left resting on the pipes overhead. Not wanting to get smacked in the head by a falling piece of metal, he stood on his toes to try and grab it. "Sorry, I just left one of my tools up there."

Not quite able to reach it, he jumped a couple of times before finally grasping it in his hand. Unfortunately, on the way down the wrench caught on one of the larger pipes, separating it at its connector and causing water to blast down in his face.

"Damn it!" He said, glad that he hadn't let out a stronger curse when he remembered he had company. "Stand back!"

Rena stepped back, watching him work while he tried to stop the flow of water and Korst had already been standing outside the corridor. Knowing he needed to act quickly or else wind up with flooded circuits, Han quickly removed his shirt and wrapped it around the pipes, attempting to seal them back together temporarily while the water continued to drench him.

While slowing the water flow, it didn't seem to want to stay put, so he quickly removed his belt and raised his arms above his head again, wrapping the belt around the shirt and pipes, securing them in place.

With the water now trickling down, he had a chance to go shut off the valve so that he could properly reseal the pipe.

He hadn't said a word while he worked, focused on fixing the problem. The water had flowed down the drainage system in the floor. Unwrapping his now-soaked shirt and belt from the pipe just above his head, he tightened the appropriate bolts and made sure the connection was sealed before he wiped the water out of his eyes and lowered his arms to his sides.

He was so embarrassed that his two guests had been there to witness the malfunction that it took him a second to realize that he was standing in front of them soaking wet and shirtless.

He brushed his fingers through wet hair, hoping to stop it from dripping into his eyes before looking at Rena and Korst standing just outside the corridor. "Uh, sorry about that. She's a little high-maintenance and she lets me know it if I'm not paying enough attention to her," he said, hoping that a bit of humor might help ease some of the discomfort he was feeling.

Rena was displaying a little smirk, and her eyes seemed to be anywhere but on his face. "That's quite all right, Han. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Nah, I think it's all under control now." He noticed Rena's eyes move down his body, and remembered how exposed he was. "Uh, would you excuse me for a minute? I have to, uh, grab some dry clothes from my cabin over there."

"Oh, sure," Rena said stepping out of Han's way.

Once within the seclusion of his cabin, behind closed doors, Han searched for the nearest set of dry clothes. He hadn't been off on any long trips in a while, so he wasn't nearly as well-supplied as he normally might be. His soaked-through trousers were clinging tightly to his skin and he realized that throughout the whole ordeal, he was too caught up in stopping the leak to notice whether or not Korst had taken any pictures of him in such a state.

Shaking his head, he quickly removed his trousers, toweled off and threw on some loose-fitting, light blue lounge pants and a plain white t-shirt before going back out to try and convince Rena not to mention in the article that his beloved ship had burst a pipe just because he had been careless with a tool. And maybe suggest that she not mention some of the things Leia had said, either.

Walking back out into the lounge, Han found Rena leaning up against the holochess table, her blazer in hand now wearing only her white tank top. "Sorry again about that," Han said. "It was my own fault, really. I just hope you don't plan on mentioning that in the article."

"It's quite all right, really. It can be our secret."

Han glanced around again, suddenly realizing that someone was missing. "Where's Korst?"

"Oh, he had to go send in the photos for the article. We want to get it published as soon as possible, you know."

"Well, I hope some of them came out good," Han said, feeling a bit nervous but not really knowing why.

"I'm sure that they did," she said, giving him a wide smile.

Han suddenly realized that he was standing there essentially in his pajamas. There weren't many moments that he felt self-conscious, but over the past twenty-four hours he felt as though he'd doubled his lifetime total. "So, is that it, or…"

"Are you sure there aren't any interesting stories you'd like to add about things that have happened on your ship?"

Han's head fogged with pleasant memories, but none that he wished to share with the rest of the galaxy. Caught up in his thoughts, he hardly noticed when Rena, facing away from him, reached up and pulled the elastic out of her hair, letting the blond strands to rest just below her shoulders. After removing her glasses, she turned to look at him once again.

Han felt his forehead instantly growing hot as sweat started making its way to the surface of his skin. His throat suddenly dry, he found himself unable to speak.

"Han, I think I should tell you that it was my idea that we pick you. I've been an admirer of yours for quite a while, and I knew it would be a great chance to finally get to know you."

Rena slowly started walking towards him, and with just one step he felt his back hit the wall, leaving him nowhere else to go. Still hoping that maybe she was simply being complimentary, he tried to act casual. "Uh, thanks."

"You are an incredible man, Han Solo," she continued slowly moving closer, and he pressed his back harder against the wall. "And meeting you in person and talking to you has only made you that much more appealing. I've been waiting for this for a long time," she said just before lunging toward him.

Instinctively, he jumped to his left so that her hands met the wall instead of him. "Whoa, wait a minute. I don't know if you remember yesterday or not, but I'm pretty sure you know that I'm married." Han still had his back against the wall, slowly inching his way further and further away from her, irritated that he had jumped away from the door instead of toward it.

"Of course I know you're married, Han. But I also know that your wife is a busy woman who probably doesn't give you all of the attention you deserve. And I've seen the way you've been looking at me, too."

Han shook his head in disbelief. "No, I haven't! I…"

"Come on, Han. It's all right to admit it. This doesn't have to mean anything. I am willing to be discreet."

"Rena, I'm really sorry if you got the wrong idea, but I think you're grasping at nothing here. I love my wife, and I'm sorry, but nothing is going to happen between me and you."

Her grey-ish blue eyes gave a look of disappointment, but he felt the muscles in his back relax when she finally took a step away from him and he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Well, I'm sorry, too," she said, now looking at the ground. "I'm certainly embarrassed about this, and I hope you won't hold it against me."

_I'm not going to be holding _anything _against you, _ever. "Well, I might consider bringing a chaperone with me if you ever decide to interview me again," he said, again trying to diffuse the situation with humor. Where was Chewie when he needed him?

She let out a little smile at that before self-consciously putting her blazer back on. "I really am sorry, Captain Solo. Although I'll admit I was looking forward to finding out if some of the things your wife said about you were true," she said, making Han's face grow hot once again.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, that's just for her to know," he replied.

"I guess that's just another reason that you're the sexiest man alive, huh?" She said, moving toward the door.

"Speaking of which, um, would you mind maybe not mentioning some of that stuff she said yesterday in your article? It was all just a lot of incoherent babbling, you know."

She smiled at him, and he could tell that she didn't really believe that, but she sure did owe him. "Sure. I'll keep those little gems of information to myself. Thanks so much again. I really do appreciate your time and I'm sorry about this last part. Can't blame a girl for trying, right?" She let out an awkward laugh, and then turned all business. "The article should be out in a few days and we'll let you know."

"Thanks. Goodbye, Rena."

"Goodbye, Han."

Watching her walk down the ramp, Han felt a huge wave of relief, realizing that obviously Leia was right and it was a terrible idea to leave him to make his own decisions. Then he remembered that he was probably going to have to tell her what had happened, and he considered not going home for a while. But given the fact that she was still sick and he felt the need to be there to take care of her, he sighed, and headed for the exit.


	7. Chapter 7

Han tried to be quiet as he walked in the front door, hoping not to disturb Leia if she was still sleeping.

"How'd it go?"

Leia's voice caused him to jump. He hadn't even noticed her sitting sideways on the couch with her feet up. "Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I feel a lot better, actually." She paused and took in his appearance as her brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you wearing pajamas? That's not what you had on when you left, is it?"

"Uh, no, actually. It's not." Han moved to sit next to her on the couch. She stretched her legs to rest on his lap, and he took the invitation to massage one of her chilled feet within his warm hands.

"So why are you wearing that now? Did you get shy when she asked you what you wore to bed and you decided to model more modest evening attire?"

"Well, my other clothes got a little wet."

"You were meeting her on the Falcon and not a water park, right? Is there a swim test involved in being the sexiest man alive?"

"You know as well as I do that just about anything can happen on that freighter."

"That's an understatement."

"Yeah, well, I sort of accidentally broke the connection on one of the water pipes and got a bit drenched, so I had to change my clothes."

"Were they there to see it?"

"No, I changed in my cabin."

"You know what I mean, Han."

"Of course they were. I'm pretty sure she's not going to mention that little incident in the article though."

"What about the other stuff though? Did you talk to her about that?"

"Yeah, I don't think she'll be printing that, either."

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure," Han replied, trying to avert her eyes and hoping that the relief at not having certain things printed would be enough for her not to question him any further. He felt the tenseness in her feet subside as she laid her head back and shut her eyes.

"So, when do I get to read this shameless raving about your manliness?"

"You don't have to wait for that. You can rave about my manliness anytime you want."

"I think I raved enough this morning."

Han shrugged. "A couple of days, I guess. I don't know, I didn't ask for any specifics."

"Does that mean I'm going to have to compete with hundreds of other women who are going to be unable to keep themselves from fawning all over you?"

"I can fight them off."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well, if I can't, you sure as hell can. Come on, how often are articles published about you and how noble and beautiful you are? I've seen men looking at you, sweetheart, but so far they've at least been able to keep their hands to themselves. Am I right about that?"

"That's what you think. I'm just good at keeping all of my illicit affairs a secret." A wicked smile crossed her lips.

He was glad to see that she seemed to have regained her willingness to tease about such things. "Let me give you a reminder of why you don't need anyone else." He pressed his palm against her cheek, leaning in and gently brushing his lips against hers.

She opened her eyes to look at him as he slowly pulled away, his hand still resting against her skin. "Do you think that's enough to satisfy me?"

"No, that was just a little preview," he replied. "You don't seem quite ready for the really good stuff yet."

"Who says I'd let you even if I was ready?"

"I don't know, Leia. What was the word you used this morning? Amazing, was it? How can you possibly resist the sexiest man alive?"

"The more you open your mouth, the easier it's becoming."

* * *

Three days later…

Things had returned to normal in the Solo household. So normal, in fact, that they had actually completely forgotten that the article was due to be released. Han was reminded when Rena sent him a quick message mentioning its release as well as an apology for the little incident on the _Falcon. _

Han had agreed to wait for Leia to come home so that they could read the article together, and she was anxious to see how it turned out; mostly so that she could see if Rena had kept her word and left out much of what Leia had told her.

Entering the front door, she found Han sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table in front of him.

"I thought it might be a good idea if we had a little something to drink before we look at the article to help keep our sense of humor," Han said.

She walked to the couch and flopped down next to her husband, accepting the glass he held out to her. "You mean you just hope that _I _keep my sense of humor in case I see something I don't like, don't you?"

He filled her glass a bit more than was customary. "Something like that. How was your day?"

"Fine. Now quit stalling."

"Hey, shouldn't you be grateful that you get to spend a quiet evening with the galaxy's sexiest man alive?"

"Oh, you think I'm the one who's supposed to be grateful in this scenario? You're just a low-life smuggler who somehow wound up with a princess. If anything it's _you _who should be grateful, flyboy."

He draped an arm over her shoulder. "I am. Every day. You know I'm only kidding."

"All right," she continued. "Let's get this over with."

The article was published electronically, and Han pulled it up on his data pad, positioning the screen so that he and Leia could both read. She was seated upright on the couch while Han was slouched next to her with his feet up, his head resting against the pillows at her shoulder level. "So how do you want to do this?" Leia said.

"Why don't you read it out loud," Han replied. "I'd love to hear how it sounds coming from you."

Leia sighed, but relented and began reading the article.

"_Gifted pilot, talented military man, rebel hero and devoted husband. These are just some of the many titles that could be used to describe this year's selection for the sexiest man alive: Han Solo."_

"So far I like it," Han said."

"Shut up," Leia replied before continuing. "_I first met up with this legendary Alliance general at one of his favorite restaurants. The former smuggler still apparently feels most at home in a less-than-elegant setting, opting for a local dive with good old fashioned Corellian food. Acting the gentleman, he pulled my chair out for me and ordered our food. _

"_His past is mysterious and he doesn't hint at how he became the man he is today. But the former general seems the most comfortable when discussing his famous ship _The Millennium Falcon. _His hazel eyes sparkled whenever it came up in conversation, and you get the feeling that there is nothing he treasures more. That is, until the discussion turns to his even more-famous wife, Princess Leia." _

Leia looked up at him. "Oh good, I'm glad to know that you mentioned me at some point."

"Of course I did, what did you expect?"

Leia decided she needed another sip of wine before continuing. "_In one of the most famous weddings in a generation, the union of these two just over a year ago was seen across the galaxy, prompting many to wonder how the decidedly non-regal pilot had managed to convince royalty to marry him."_

"I often wonder that, myself," Leia said.

"I can think of a few reasons," Han winked at her.

"_Sitting in his presence makes it much easier to understand. While anything but a pretty-boy, even sporting a scar on his chin, his strong features and lopsided grin compose an unwaveringly handsome face. He seems uncomfortable with this kind of attention, but make no mistake: Han Solo is the sexiest man alive. He just isn't willing to admit it."_

Leia laughed. "That's amusing, because lately you seem to love bringing it up at every opportunity."

"Hey, I've just finally accepted the truth."

Leia took a rather large gulp from her wine glass. While she didn't necessarily disagree with what was written, she didn't think that Han needed to know that.

"_When discussing his relationship with his wife, he doesn't give away much, but it is clear by the look on his face that he loves her dearly. 'It's no secret it took her a while to warm up to me,' he says, referring to their first few years in the Rebellion, before they became a couple. 'We had some pretty legendary fights. We're just much better at making up afterward now.'"_

Leia slapped Han's arm with the back of her hand. "You sure about that?" She asked.

"I guess we'll find out in a little bit, won't we?"

"_I had the opportunity to see the home that they share together and hear from the woman herself. The two first met when the princess was being held prisoner on the first _Death Star. _Solo, along with his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca and the famous Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, courageously rescued her mere hours before her scheduled execution. _

"_Although, according to his wife, it was a miracle that any of them made it out alive. '…He quite obviously never thought things through. I didn't think he'd live long enough to get us out of there considering some of the idiotic things he did while trying to rescue me."_

Han leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You're welcome."

"_But, she was also quick to point out that in spite of his brash behavior, she was instantly attracted to him, and although he didn't say it outright, I'd say the feeling was mutual."_

"Well, now she's just making stuff up. Maybe if you hadn't spent the first few minutes of our meeting yelling at me I might've noticed how pretty you were."

"You know you loved it."

"Still do," he replied, giving her knee a gentle squeeze.

"_Although she claims he doesn't go out of his way to be romantic, she did say that he could be charming when he wants to be, and it is quite obvious that the princess thinks highly of her husband. _

"_Equally unwilling to give away too much, Solo simply stated that they love each other and enjoy their lives together, and just being in their presence is enough to show how strong their bond is."_

"Well," Leia said. "I'm glad to know that it shows so clearly.

"Yeah."

Han's response didn't seem quite as convincing, but Leia continued. "_Their relationship blossomed in the midst of the war in which the two were instrumental in the defeat of the Empire. We owe the pair a huge debt of gratitude for the freedom that we experience today._

"_I was also given the opportunity to go inside the infamous _Millennium Falcon. _Although the Corellian YT-1300 freighter isn't much to look at on the outside, you can tell that the ship is the Captain's pride and joy. A look of contentment sets over him as he sits in his pilot's chair and you can almost hear the echoes of the historical events that have transpired from that cockpit."_

"I hope she wasn't hearing echoes in there of all of those times that you and I..."

Leia interrupted him, "Not now, Han."

Looking at him, she saw a wide grin spread across his face at the memory. "Hey look," he said as she scrolled down, "the first picture."

On the screen was a still image of Han sitting in his pilot's chair, hands on the controls and giving the slightest hint of a smile.

"Not bad, Han. Maybe you should get your picture taken more often."

"Nah, I'm best in person."

"You're probably right about that. _His genuine sense of pride radiates from him as he discusses the vehicle and all of the work he has done to keep it in top condition. It might also explain his embarrassment at the slight mishap that occurred when a water pipe leaked while I was visiting."_

"Damn it, she said she was going to leave that out!" Han said.

"Han, of all of the things she might leave in, I'd say that was the least of your worries."

"Maybe, but still."

"_But always the quick thinker, Solo was able to ingeniously fix the problem in no time, giving us an opportunity to see the lean, muscular body usually so hidden underneath his spacer's uniform."_

Leia scrolled down, and the next image in the article appeared. "Um, Han?" She looked at her husband next to her, whose face had started to turn red with embarrassment before he brought a hand up to cover his eyes.

Han was speaking more to himself than to Leia. "I _knew _they had to have taken some pictures then. Why didn't I ask them?"

"Why, exactly were you half-naked while they were there?" She spoke the words calmly, betraying the irritation she was feeling.

He looked up at her, defensively. "Sweetheart, you have to believe me when I tell you that I didn't know they took those. The whole thing happened so fast."

Leia looked down at the image again. Han was standing in a corridor of the _Falcon_ shirtless, with his arms raised over his head and his muscles flexed as though he was posing. Water dripped down his body from the pipe overhead and caused his skin to glisten. For some reason his belt had been removed, and his pants, which were also wet and clinging to his skin, had slipped down just enough to reveal the waist line of his briefs. Had she seen this sort of image under almost any other circumstances, she simply would've enjoyed it. But she was not happy that it was in the article for all to see.

"What, exactly, required the removal of both your shirt _and_ your belt?"

"I had to slow down the water flow so it didn't flood the circuits before I went to shut the valve off. The shirt was the first line of defense and the belt kept it in place."

"Why didn't you just send Rena or Korst to shut off the valve?"

"Who knows how long that would've taken? Besides, weren't you the one who suggested they get some shirtless photos? Well, there you go. You got what you wanted."

"Oh, sure, make it seem like it was my idea. You couldn't keep your shirt on for maybe an hour? You were probably just waiting for a good excuse."

"No way. I was never planning on that. I mean, especially after later on, when she – " Han cut himself off suddenly, obviously realizing he was about to say something he shouldn't.

"When she _what, _Han?"

He wouldn't look her in the eye. "Nothing. I forgot what I was going to say."

"You expect me to believe that? Out with it, Solo. You know you're going to have to tell me eventually anyway, so you might as well get it over with."

"Okay, okay." Breathing a heavy sigh, Han sat up but still refused to meet her stern gaze. "Well, after the whole water pipe thing I went into my cabin to change, like I told you. And when I came out, Korst was already gone since he went to submit his photos for the article."

"So Rena was there alone?"

"Yep, just sitting there waiting for me to come out."

"Why do I not like the sound of this?"

Han looked up and gave her an incredibly half-hearted smirk before the scowl returned to his face and his voice got quiet. "Yeah, well, then maybe she sort of… came onto me a little bit."

"What, exactly does 'a little bit' mean?"

Han hesitated. "Well, maybe she first told me that it was her idea to pick me."

"That's not a surprise."

"And then she, um, leaned in like she was going to kiss me."

Feeling the jealousy rising within her, Leia took a moment to let the information seep in before she responded, quietly. "What did you do?"

"I told her we'd have to be real careful since my wife has a mean temper."

Leia did not appreciate his attempt at humor - a fact he sensed right away.

"What do you think I did? I told her I'm not that kind of guy. I only want you, Leia."

The statement did little to ease the irritation Leia was feeling. "So, how did she react?"

"She was mostly just embarrassed. And kind of disappointed."

Leia looked down at her feet. The whole situation had started to make her feel like a fool, and it annoyed her to no end to feel that way. "You should've told me," she said quietly.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong. Would you tell me any time some guy hit on you? Because I'm willing to bet that's happened a few times."

Looking at him then, she could see him getting defensive. "That's beside the point. The point is that you lied to me."

"I never lied about this. I just didn't tell you everything that happened."

"I don't see that there's much of a difference."

"There's a big difference. Do you always tell me every little detail of everything? I just didn't think that there was any reason to make you mad about something that was over and done with. You trust me, right?"

In her heart, she knew she trusted him completely. But it seemed too soon to relent on her argument. "Maybe. I'm just not very happy with you right now."

"Look, I don't blame you for being upset. I'd be upset if I heard about some guy coming onto you. Except I'd be mad at _him _not you."

"Oh, I'm certainly mad at her. And if she were here right now I'd surely give her a good reason never to come near us again. But we're not talking about what she did to you right now."

For once, Han didn't seem to want to fight back anymore. He leaned his head back in defeat and simply said, "Do you want to just finish the article?"

"I suppose." Leia had completely lost interest in what else Rena had to say about Han, but she continued anyway. "_He claims his lean frame is simply the result of good old fashioned hard labor. However it was achieved, his body is just another reason for women to swoon over him."_

Leia looked at Han. "Swoon, huh?"

"Apparently. Do I still make you swoon, sweetheart?"

"I have _never _swooned."

"Liar."

"_It's only unfortunate for the rest of us that the tall Corellian is already taken. And rest assured, their vows are not to be broken. As for what he feels for her, 'She's an incredible woman,' Solo states simply. _

"_And you, Captain Solo, are an incredible man."_

The article finished with one last photo of Han in profile leaning against the railing of their balcony and looking out over the city.

"I hope you're happy," Leia said.

"I thought maybe you, of all people, would've enjoyed this."

"Oh, sure, you did this all for _my _benefit. I don't need some stupid article to make you seem appealing to me, Han. However, at the moment, I think the sexiest man alive needs to spend some time by himself."

Handing him the data pad, she stood and went to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

About an hour later, Leia was lying on her bed, dozing off. She didn't want to be mad at Han, but she felt that she had to be mad at someone at the moment, and he was the only one around.

She was startled awake by the sound of the door opening, and she glanced up to see her husband sheepishly enter.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked.

She brought her head back down against the pillows, looking away from him. "I haven't decided yet. Come back later."

"No. I have something I want you to hear, first."

She rolled over and sat up, only then noticing the piece of flimsy he had in his hand.

"What's that? You have to write down your apologies now?"

"No, I think you'll like this better. This is an article I wrote about the sexiest _woman _alive."

Her eyebrows arched up. "Oh, really?"

He walked over and sat down next to her. "Really. Now, the writer is a little biased, but he's pretty perceptive so I respect his opinion."

"That's debatable, but we'll see."

"All right then." He held the paper up and began reading. "_Princess, rebel leader, diplomat, loving wife of the incredibly handsome rogue Han Solo_."

"I thought this was supposed to be about me."

"Don't worry, it is. _These are just a few ways to describe the incredibly beautiful, talented, not to mention_ forgiving_, Leia Organa Solo_."

"Don't be so sure about that 'forgiving' part just yet."

"Excuse me, I'm reading here. _Although her taste in men is questionable_…"

"Okay, that I agree with."

"_Her kind heart and concern for all beings shines through. I'd challenge anyone to find a more caring individual. Aside from rescuing the galaxy from certain doom against the evil Empire, she managed to rescue one, lowly Corellian smuggler from a lifetime of loneliness_."

"Han, I think I get – "

"Shhh… there's more. _If you look into her deep, brown eyes it can make you weak in the knees. Her thick, long hair just begs for you to run your fingers through it, and her smooth skin is even softer than it looks_."

"I think whoever wrote this invaded my private space."

"Repeatedly. _While her sarcasm can sometimes overwhelm you, just a touch of one of those perfect breasts can –_ "

She slapped his arm with the back of her hand. "Han!"

"What? There was a topless photo in my article, I thought there should be one in yours, so I drew it, see?" He turned the piece of paper toward her, proving that he had, indeed, made a little sketch to go with the writing.

Leia felt her face flush a little bit, but she couldn't stop the juvenile laughter from escaping her lips. "Okay, okay. Are you done making your point yet?"

"Almost. _There are a million reasons that she is the sexiest woman alive. Her beauty, her laughter, her smile, the fact that she doesn't take any crap from anyone, the way she looks when she's just been ravaged by her husband_."

"You don't have a sketch for that, do you?"

"I only had an hour. Maybe in our next issue. _Nobody quite knows why the most beautiful woman in the galaxy agreed to marry a man like Han Solo, but she should know that he loves her more every day. And the sexiest man alive hopes that the sexiest woman alive knows that there is no woman in the galaxy he'd rather spend the rest of his life with besides her." _

Han's eyes moved from the flimsy to look at Leia, anxiously awaiting her response. Sometimes she hated how difficult it was to stay mad at him. But other times, such as this one, she didn't mind so much. "Well," Leia said. "I have to admit I agree with most of what was written. Who was this poignant author, anyway?"

"Well, he's not the best writer in the world or the smartest guy, but I heard he's great in bed." His hand found its way to her knee and slowly moved up along the outside of her thigh.

She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "Prove it."

A broad grin swept over his face before he leaned in and kissed her passionately, lowering her back to the bed. She responded eagerly, and after a few moments he pulled away. "Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

"What do you think?" She asked just before she reached back to gently squeeze his rear end.

"You trying to reclaim your territory?"

"I didn't realize I'd ever lost it."

"Trust me, you didn't."

Her hand slipped under the collar of his shirt and caressed his neck. "Either way, I figure I have to make it very clear to the rest of the female population that this sexy scoundrel is _mine._"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, Leia."

"I love you, Han." She pulled his head down to kiss him again, reminded once again that making up was by far the best part of fighting with him.

If this was what it was like to be married to the sexiest man alive, she decided she didn't mind at all.


End file.
